Mayor sends out survey about Old Bridge issues BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer OLD BRIDGE - Mayor Jim Phillips wants to know what you are thinking. In order to find out, he formulated a survey and e-mailed it to 12,000 residents, asking open-ended questions about what issues in town concern them the most. "Old Bridge is 42,000 square miles, and has 64,000 people living here," Phillips said. "Most people don't get a chance to come to town hall. This opportunity of using the Internet gives me an opportunity to get in touch with the dreams, the hopes and the fears of the people of Old Bridge." The survey is made up of seven categories: jobs/economic development; crime; property taxes; overdevelopment; traffic congestion; preserving open space; and public schools. Residents are given space to fill in their concerns and opinions in each of the areas, and a category marked "other" gives them a chance to voice anything on their minds that is not addressed in the survey. While the survey has been in the works for a while, Phillips said, it was just sent out to the residents last week. So far, he has received about 500 responses, and he said he is hoping to see more. Issues brought forth by the residents have included everything from found stray kittens to the need for a full-day kindergarten program in the school district. Suggestions included the installation of township-wide wireless Internet access and a ban on all further development of township land. "I believe this is a way that I can keep my finger on the pulse of Old Bridge," Phillips said. One resident applauded Phillips' efforts, and proposed taking it a step further. The respondent, who wished to remain anonymous, suggested using an informal internet voting system as a means of gathering public opinion on a variety of issues. The voting could be done on the town's Web site, where residents would log in with their tax identification number, he said. E-mail addresses of those who have contacted Phillips in the past were used, and a list of other residents' e-mail addresses was purchased by the town. Phillips said while he prefers talking face to face or over the telephone for more personalized communication, there is no way he could reach out to so many of the residents without utilizing the Internet. "When you become the mayor, you spend an awful lot of time in town hall," Phillips said. "You talk to the same people, you listen to the same people, you hear the same problems." Phillips said he did not want to hold the "bunker mentality" that elected officials sometimes adopt, instead being open to the opinions and concerns of those he was chosen to serve. "I learn a lot more by listening than I do by talking," Phillips said. "I feel better about that, that I'm not governing in the dark."